This invention relates to wrenches and, more particularly, to a wrench having a quick release feature.
Wrenches are constructed of a pair of jaws joined by a mechanism capable of drawing the jaws together for secure engagement with an object which is to be grabbed by the wrench, and separating the jaws for releasing the object. In one common form of wrench, a jaw extends transversely of an elongated arm having a set of teeth arranged serially along the arm by which the jaw may be adjustably located relative to the other jaw at a desired position. In the case of a pipe wrench, the foregoing mechanism must be so structured so as to permit a pivoting between the jaws whereby the jaws are tightened onto a pipe by the pivoting action.
A problem arises in the case of a wrench, such as a pipe wrench, when it is desired to disengage the wrench from the pipe since such disengagement often requires both hands, and in circumstances where the work area is crowded so as to militate against the use of both hands. In spite of the long felt need for an adjustable wrench having such disengagement feature, and in spite of the variety of wrench mechanisms providing a variety of features, no mechanism has heretofore permitted single-handed disengagement of such wrenches without an auxiliary aid, manual or physical, to hold a pipe or other object steady.